Frankenstein By Mary W. Shelley Information gathered from:

Let’s get one thing straight… Hollywood did not give birth to Frankenstein; Mary Shelley did !!!

Literary Heritage Dad…William Godwin political theorist, novelist, and publisher Encouraged her writing Mom… Mary Wollstonecraft a writer and early feminist thinker, who died shortly after daughter was born Lover/Husband… Percy Shelley

Why on Earth would I ask you to read this novel??? Options: o I’m mean o I’m crazy o I’m a teacher by day, gothic monster by night. o It’s a CLASSIC!

It’s a CLASSIC! Classics say something important about life and/or the human condition. It does so with artistry. It has withstood the test of time AND is not bound by time, place or customs. It speaks to us today as forcefully as it it did over a hundred years ago. Classics therefore have UNIVERSALITY.

Yesterday vs. Today Frankenstein Today: The monster is often seen as an inarticulate being, incapable of advanced knowledge, and as a symbol of pure, unrepentant evil. Shelley’s Frankenstein: She gave the creature the ability to learn, speak properly with passion, logic and eloquence, and know the difference between right and wrong.

Shelley’s Philosophical Beliefs and the Influence on her Writing: \ ROMANTIC ERA GOTHIC NOVEL

Romantic Era…in which she lived and wrote A passion for human emotion Belief that all humans are innately good Advocacy of free thought Idea that comfort is found in healing elements of nature Opposition to political authority and social convention Strong sense of human individuality Belief in the supernatural Use of the morbid and grotesque

Prime Example of the Gothic Novel Use of intense emotion Evocation of fear Using weather to depict a character’s mood (nature parallels human action) Use of specific vocabulary: i.e. diabolical, lamentable, melancholy, misery, wretched, etc. Giving nature the power to destroy Many are set in dark, dank castles, in ruins, or in a forest or wilderness, generally outside of England Horror, death, and gruesome or supernatural events dominate Character motivations are complex and often dark

Horror Films vs. Gothic Novels Scary monsters (and zombies too, Tmas?) Spooky settings, isolated areas, graveyards Suspenseful directing- shadowy lighting, strange noises, false alarms Gruesome and supernatural events Dark, complex characters Spooky settings-castles, ruins, wilderness Suspenseful writing-cliff hangers, red herrings, mysterious occurrences Gruesome and supernatural events

Understanding the AMBIGUITY between good and evil in these representations of duality Victor acting as GOD in creating the monster/Victor is a monster for doing so. Monster=Adam??? Monster= Satan???

Shelley’s continual use of CONTRASTING ELEMENTS isolation/companionship Light/dark Day/night handsome/ugly Male/female science/philosophy Knowledge/ignorance

Key Facts Written , Switzerland/London Genre: Gothic, science fiction novel Setting: Geneva, Swiss Alps, Ingolstadt, England, Scotland, the northern ice Tense: past Tone: gothic, romantic, emotional, tragic, fatalistic Primary Narrator: Robert Walton Point of View: Shifts from Walton, to Victor, to monster Protagonist: Victor Frankenstein Antagonist: Frankenstein’s monster

Characters Robert Walton and sister, Margaret Saville Victor Frankenstein William Frankenstein Alphonse Frankenstein Caroline Beaufort Elizabeth Lavenza Henry Clerval The Monster The De Laceys Justine Moritz M. Waldman

Themes o rejection/alienation of individuals, importance of friendship in one’s life, taking responsibility for one’s actions and for the actions of others in the world, seeking knowledge for glory’s sake, obsession/revenge, nature, depression, +/- consequences of actions, passivity of women, subtleties of monstrosity, light/fire

Symbols Light and Fire

REALITY CHECK  The bad  The bad The good The good SUBTITLED: How can you learn from your teacher?

What was wrong with this presentation? Too many words on the slides. I didn’t practice it enough to speak through it by memory...because I created it last year. I didn’t stand up or move around the room. I may not have chosen the best color scheme to “pop” for my viewers. No HOOK at the beginning. No real closure at the end.

However, I did do some things well… Interesting, relevant pictures Animation is cool, right? Logical order of presentation information…linear I used the NOTES pages to help me stay focused. This also helped me know when to advance the slides. It was completed on time and I took care of my own technology needs. (tested it before class too!) I sited my sources, so that I did not steal from anyone else’s work. (But should have sited them all…)